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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381881">You're Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsaid/pseuds/sidsaid'>sidsaid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Gods &amp; Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Domestic Bliss, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Love at First Sight, Mythology - Freeform, Mythology References, Nature, Reylo - Freeform, Smut, well sort of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:48:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsaid/pseuds/sidsaid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey’s peaceful idyll is disturbed when a severely injured god appears near her home. With little other choice, she takes him back to her small cabin to nurse him back to health, and hopes that he’ll leave without finding out who she really is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Reylo Moodboard Inspiration</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Now this for the Writer’s Den Moodboard Event. The below moodboard was made by Bea.</p><p>This is slightly mythic – more Greek/Roman mythology adjacent. I have taken many liberties with not only the moodboard, but with those mythic elements. I hope you enjoy!  </p><p>This fic is 80% done, so I'll post over the coming days.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>‘Come on boy,’ Rey called, grinning as Beebee bounded over to her, his ears flapping wildly as he ran and his little legs doing their best to hurtle him forward. </p><p>He stopped just before her kneeled form, a large truffle caught between his teeth. </p><p>‘My good boy, you’re so smart.’ Her fingers combed through the strawberry blonde of his fur and Beebee eventually yipped, turning over and expecting a belly rub too for his efforts. Rey chuckled, and eventually sat in the chair on her porch, allowing the dog to climb onto her and for them to cuddle in the warm spring air.</p><p>Rey’s eyes squinted against the sun and she took a deep breath, smelling roses on the wind and revelling in the distant sound of the river flowing into the waterfall a few metres below her cabin. </p><p>The cabin had been her grandfather’s, made with her in mind, though he’d long forgotten about it. When Rey had first arrived three decades before, it had taken her several months to fix all of the leaks and to politely ask the family of field mice to move into her shed. Though now it was perfect. Perfect and quiet. </p><p>Beebee twisted in her lap, and bounced off, looking for a butterfly to chase as Rey watched him. Flowers seemed to curl towards him wherever he trotted, and she grinned as a blue butterfly landed on his nose. She sat back, her bare feet curling underneath her as a colony of bees buzzed on the wind. </p><p>Deciding to take a look, Rey brushed fur from her dress and walked around the cabin and up-stream towards the beehives. She’d let the wildflowers grow especially tall here, so she offered brief excuse-mes to the insects underfoot as she approached the apiary. The bees danced happily, and Rey watched them for what felt like hours as they came in and out, weighed down by pollen and full of nectar. </p><p>Asking kindly enough got her a finger-full of honey and Rey grinned as she licked the sweetness off the appendage. </p><p>The sun was still high in the sky by the time she had begun to make her way downstream, climbing the rocks to get to the base of the waterfall, her feet firm against the mossy surface. Rey hummed to herself – working songs, songs her grandfather had taught her, songs her mother had gifted her. Songs that made hair grow, flowers dance, and clouds clear. </p><p>A mockingbird answered her song and Rey chuckled as she dipped a toe into the cool water, seeing the fish watch her with interest. The river grew lazy here, the pool beneath the waterfall gentle before it slopped down into the woods, splitting into streams until it reached the nearest settlement almost fifty miles away. </p><p>Rey slipped inside up to her ankles, her soles reaching for smooth stone in the clear water. She pulled her dress carefully over her head, leaving it on one of the higher rocks and she hit the bottom as she made a short jump from the rocky outcrop. The water went to her waist and Rey’s hands trailed the surface, ripples breaking as she watched the small fish who lived here swim between her legs. </p><p>Even among the noise of the water, she could still hear the steady thrum of nature, of the creatures within the wood, and of the approaching doe and her mother. Rey sank into the water, crawling towards the small shore where the pool curved back into a river to get a closer look. </p><p>There was a snapping sound and the deer looked up, bypassing Rey and then moving off, leading her child away.</p><p>Rey pouted and sank into the water, plunging briefly before coming back up for air and pushing back her wet hair. Standing again the water here was at her knees and she waded through it, kicking it gently and laughing to herself. She reached to comb fingers through her short hair before her skin prickled and she froze, suddenly feeling as if she were not alone with her own thoughts. And then she turned, very aware of how unalone she truly was. </p><p>
  <b>XxX</b>
</p><p>Ben couldn’t remember how he’d gotten into the woods. He remembered why he was in so much pain – the swing of a sword that knocked him clean off his horse did that. Though at some point he’d found himself in the wood – out of battle, though he’d sensed the side he was rooting for had won – and poorly climbing over tree roots and through thatches of poison ivy. On his stumbling journey, Ben had had a run in with some angry ants and a family of wood pigeons that had deposited a lovely load on his head. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened to his helmet, and his recollection did not go much past that. </p><p>The injury was mostly his fault. He wasn’t supposed to actively partake, and yet when his favoured mortals found themselves in danger, he couldn’t help but want to intervene, regardless of the consequences. Though invincibility only went so far when mortals had decided to carry god-blessed weapons into battle, dipped in sacrificial blood. </p><p>Without his horse he couldn’t easily return home and without his helmet or sword Ben was very aware of the possibility that his father and the council might kill him anyway. </p><p>Though still he continued to walk deeper into the woods, listening out for the distant trickle of water to at least give him an opportunity to quench his thirst. </p><p>Following the water had been simple enough, and the creatures he passed seemed to wholly ignore him, despite the bow strapped to his back. </p><p>As he drew further towards the running water, the warmer the climate became – the air filled with honeysuckle and the birds in full song. It wasn’t until the sun was high, his clothing soaked in blood, and his strength flagging, that he realised the song was not avian in origin. </p><p>By then he felt the coolness in the tips of his fingers, and the stiffness in his lips as he surged forward on weak legs. </p><p>The song grew louder and he smiled at it. It was like sunshine. Its familiarity called him forward until Ben found himself breaching the woods – the sun hitting him directly – and a small stumbling waterfall in front of him. It was not too tall to climb and the water that flowed freely sparkled into the clear pool beneath it. </p><p>His eyes followed the motion until he stopped, and a nymph caught his eye – at least she must have been. He blinked, dizzy and she did not move, frozen as she watched him, water dripping from her shorn hair and falling to her shoulders before clinging to her tanned skin. Droplets drifted between her small breasts, dipping into her navel and then down, caught in the thatch of deep brown hair between her legs and lower still until they became one with the water once more. </p><p>Ben took two stumbling steps forward, his armour-clad legs hitting the water before he collapsed into it, the world turning black as water filled his lungs.</p><p>
  <b>XxX</b>
</p><p>It was a man.</p><p>Rey came to the realisation far too slowly – especially considering she was well-versed in that particular area – and he was half-drowning by the time she reached him. </p><p>He coughed as she turned him upright, though did not seem able to rally himself into consciousness. Her eyes drifted to his torso, at the mortal garments he wore, and the slash of red against his side. His breathing was shallow and she held him firmly, looking carefully over his injuries.</p><p>‘This seems quite serious,’ Rey considered aloud, her hand resting against his wound and then to the strange angle of his arm. </p><p>His blood stained the water pink and Rey’s eyes narrowed as she carefully carried him towards the bank and then onto land. </p><p>It was quick work to gather the appropriate herbs, and she was packing the wound at his side before tearing into his clothing and making a bandage from it while she transported him. The effort cost her an entire afternoon of going back and forth with a pulley to get him above the waterfall, and then a wheelbarrow to get him closer towards her cabin.</p><p>He began to wake by the time she had him laid out on her bed, most of his clothing removed bar his subligaculum, and her fingers carefully replaced the packed medicinal herbs. </p><p>‘I am in the afterlife?’ He murmured tiredly, blinking dazedly at her.</p><p>Rey chuckled softly, though when she met his gaze, she found her tongue tying. His eyes were warm honey, and she absently expected that they were just as sweet. ‘Not quite. These flowers can’t grow in the otherworld, not even in the Fields of Elysia.’ </p><p>He took her in slowly – gaze moving from feature to feature and weak recognition being there, but not enough to prompt him to say something. </p><p>‘You were hurt quite badly and lost a lot of blood. I would not recommend abusing your body so easily,’ she murmured.</p><p>Rey got up from the stool, dipped her hands in a bowl of water, and whispered a simple poem, before she reached towards a cupboard within her small kitchen. Ben watched her steadily as she knelt, taking out an aged vial and pouring a drop of golden liquid into a small cup. From there she placed tea leaves and then poured steaming water over it. </p><p>‘Please drink.’</p><p>She helped him to sit up, holding the cup to his lips.</p><p>‘You are in the prime of your life,’ she commented, looking serious. ‘So you should cherish it well.’</p><p>‘You are a nymph,’ he said with a disbelieving frown.</p><p>Rey chuckled, tipping the cup to his lips. Ben licked them once the cup was drained, faintly tasting ambrosia and he looked up at her again, partially confused. </p><p>‘You live alone in the middle of nowhere?’</p><p>‘I have the animals and the plants for company,’ she answered, semi-offended by his implication. He settled back and he began to feel some life come back to him. Her fingers stilled and she stood, backing up slightly as she watched him.</p><p>‘You are — you.’ Her expression turned pensieve, and she chewed worriedly on her lip. </p><p>Ben felt strength steadily returning, though was becoming more aware of the pain in his shoulder and he looked to the woman for assistance. </p><p>‘You are very far from home, sir,’ she said apprehensively. </p><p>‘I am.’</p><p>Rey frowned and went about clearing something in her small kitchen, feeling suddenly underdressed in her simple white floral dress, without undergarments, her hair unadorned and still damp from her swim. </p><p>‘Where is your mistress?’ </p><p>‘My mistress?’ she asked, lips falling over the words. Her mother? Her mother had left her responsible years ago. </p><p>With the returning pallor of his skin came the immortal glow beneath it and Rey stood, unsure of what her next action should be despite him looking at her and waiting for an answer. It had been years since she’d been so close to another immortal, and to be faced with someone who so blatantly shone, and did not hide their godliness like she did, unsettled her.</p><p>‘You service this part of the river?’ He questioned. </p><p>‘It services me I would like to think.’</p><p>He leaned forward, though caught himself when his arm brought him too much pain. 'Would you be able to help with my arm?' </p><p>Her eyes went to the odd angle and she frowned, stepping towards him again despite her fear. Heat came off his skin now, and the smell of starshine was stronger than that of blood. </p><p>'It's a dislocation.' </p><p>'Can you fix it?' </p><p>Rey nodded, and warily climbed the edge of the bed, her knee falling beside him as her hand braced his shoulder and arm. He winced, though allowed her to find the angle before she pushed hard, satisfied by the pop. </p><p>'You are a healer?'</p><p>'Not quite.'</p><p>He blinked, his eyes on the ceiling as he breathed. 'I'm sorry—' </p><p>Rey shook her head, stopping him. 'Please do not apologise, it wouldn't be right.' </p><p>Ben adjusted with a frown, though Rey moved away, going through her things before removing a linen shirt and tearing it at the seam. She approached him again and helped him sit up while she tied the fabric around his arm, shoulder and neck in a sling. </p><p>'Thank you.'</p><p>'There is no need,' she responded and set to making him another drink. </p><p>Ben watched her carefully, not sure what to think as he followed the line of her figure. In the light the material of her dress left little to the imagination and he swallowed as she came back. He had never encountered a nymph before, and all of the men in his family seemed to only speak of their exploits with them, rather than any useful facts. </p><p>Rey held the cup to his lips again and he drank back. There was more ambrosia this time, and it gave him an added dose of much needed strength. </p><p>The young woman bowed her head with a brief smile. 'I will collect something for you to eat. I do ask that you do not go through my things, though. At least in exchange for my hospitality.' </p><p>'Why would I do that?' He watched her carefully as she blanched and then reddened, as bright as a rose. </p><p>Ben could tell, even in his injured state, that she did not want him there. That fact did not surprise him and he settled into the silence between them, more worried that she thought herself in danger by his large presence and blood-soaked clothing. Even the embarrassment of lying injured in his undergarments came second to that. </p><p>'I will be back,' she said quickly, moving toward the door. From his vantage he could see her move up river from an open window while a small dog yipped at her feet. She knelt down and lifted the creature up and then continued to walk.</p><p>When she returned she held a basket in her arms and the dog followed her silently. Her hair had dried and it curled at her ears, framing her face and the round features that sat within it. He had been told of the beauty of nymphs, but she far surpassed anything he could have imagined. Perhaps she was so deftly hidden to avoid the wrath of Cypris herself. </p><p>'Be polite to our visitor, Beebee.' </p><p>The dog approached first and Rey went to prepare the items in the basket – medicinal herbs, fruit, eggs and flowers to refresh her home. The dog – blonde, short legged and fluffy –  climbed onto the bed and sniffed him thoroughly, wagging his tail in delight. </p><p>Ben was wary of the creature, only having seen one of a very different variety and size before, and he patted it gently. Beebee seemed to enjoy that and climbed onto him, requesting a more thorough rubdown. </p><p>He was laughing by the time Rey approached with a plate of food and a cup of water. ‘I’m sorry about him, he hasn’t seen anyone but me in a very long time,’ she murmured. </p><p>‘This is a dog, yes? They are very interesting.’ He answered with a chuckle. </p><p>Rey nodded and passed him the plate, setting the cup aside as she reached for Beebee, giving him a brief kiss and cuddle before putting him down beside the bed, and giving him a stern look. </p><p>Ben looked to her with a slight frown, the plate lying on his thighs. ‘Even if you do not want me to, I will apologise for my presence. I know I make you uncomfortable, though you <em> have </em>seen me at my lowest, and there’s nothing worse than a man in his undergarments and not able to do anything about it.’</p><p>Rey chuckled softly. ‘Regardless of how I may feel, please eat.’ </p><p>He held her gaze for a moment, her looking away first before he looked into his colourful plate and began chewing on a slice of apple. Rey went back to her small kitchen and Ben could smell the herbs she had begun to prepare. </p><p>‘Is it not lonely to live in isolation?’</p><p>She turned her head, smiling briefly and shaking her head. ‘This is my favourite place to be.’ </p><p>‘You have never been to the citadel?’ </p><p>‘Would you like anything else?’ She asked, avoiding his question as she refilled his water. </p><p>Ben immediately took it as a no, and did not press. Instead he tried to turn to get off the bed, but stopped at the sharp sting in his side. While he had been unconscious she had packed the wound and a strip of linen ran around his waist. </p><p>‘That would have been a killing blow to most,’ she commented. ‘You are lucky you found me.’</p><p>‘I thought you said you weren’t a healer.’</p><p>‘I am not.’ </p><p>He watched her carefully as she prepared a plate for herself and chewed on a segment of a citrus fruit Ben did not recognise.</p><p>‘Would you eat with me?’ </p><p>She paused, turning to face him again and then nodded her head slightly, approaching him with her plate and pulling up a chair to sit beside him, her plate resting in her lap. She didn’t eat immediately, seeming to wait for him to start, and once he began chewing on a fig, she started.</p><p>Ben couldn’t help following her as she ate from the corner of his eye. She ate slowly, savouring every piece, her forefinger trailing through excess liquid on her plate and bringing it to her mouth. She laughed quietly to herself when the fruit was ripe and the juice dribbled down her chin and across her lips. It was heartening to him, because he’d been brought up so strictly that even how he ate had been controlled, and she was able to happily savour the food, not minding if she made a mess. Though when she inevitably had to lick the juice from her skin, Ben swiftly looked away, very aware that he was underdressed once more. </p><p>‘What’s your name?’</p><p>‘Why must you know it?’</p><p>‘You are my saviour, it seems polite.’</p><p>A sweet chuckle left her. ‘Rey.’ </p><p>‘You were named for sunshine?’</p><p>‘It’s only a nickname.’ She answered quickly, her shoulders straightening before she forced herself to relax. ‘And what is yours?’ </p><p>Ben was disappointed by the deflection but said nothing else. ‘Ben.’ She seemed confused and he smiled. ‘Also a nickname.’</p><p>‘So you will not tell me who you are or why you came to be here and so badly injured?’</p><p>‘It would need to be a fair trade.’ </p><p>She frowned, Ben surprised by the first negative expression he’d seen her make. ‘Perhaps I will just have to guess,’ she murmured. Without another word she was leaving the cabin again, and Ben was left to his own devices as he watched the sinking sun.</p><p>
  <b>XxX</b>
</p><p>Rey considered her plan of action as she walked across the grass and began her climb down the waterfall again, Ben’s blood-stained clothing over her shoulder. Once at the base, she went to the small basket she left beneath several stones and removed a small vial she used to remove stubborn stains and she crouched in the shallows, scrubbing the fabric. </p><p>‘You’ve really done it this time, Rey. They’ll all know where you are eventually and then no more nice riverside cabin.’ She grimaced, leaning against a boulder at the water’s edge, noting that the hem of her dress was getting wet, though wary of removing it in case she startled another injured soldier or worse, another god. </p><p>Rey couldn’t remember the citadel well. She had been an adolescent the last time she had been, and her mother had hated the place, preferring the mortal world and its simple delights. When it had become too difficult to ignore the celestial council’s calls, her mother had hidden her far from their reach, her grandfather agreeing to it too.</p><p>Once they were both gone, however, Rey was only left with a complicated distrust of the place that should have been her home, though very aware that if she were to go to the citadel, there was the risk that she’d never return to earth. Either due to an external force, or by her own decision. </p><p>This way, keeping to herself and hiding, it meant she didn’t have to make the decision, and Rey wanted that for at least a little bit longer.</p><p>She could hear Beebee barking some distance away and Rey scrubbed faster, the fabric slowly returning to its original luster. The sky was deep purple by the time she had given the uniform a once over and climbed back up the waterfall. </p><p>She hung the tunic up outside of the cabin and with a deep breath, moved back inside. Ben was sleeping when she looked into her bedroom and she set about cutting slices of bread and spreading them liberally with fresh honey. Rey hummed happily as she ate, trying to distract herself from reality with its sweetness. </p><p>‘May I?’ </p><p>Rey jumped and the slice slipped from her hand, barely caught by Ben. He was standing just behind her, clutching his waist, but on his feet. </p><p>He bit into the slice before Rey had any complaints and he smiled, staring down at the honey spread and then back at her. ‘This is the best honey I’ve ever had.’ </p><p>She grinned. ‘The key is to spoil the bees.’ She held another slice out to him and he took it, eating quickly. ‘I think you should stay seated, at least for the rest of today.’ </p><p>‘I feel much better already, and I should get out of your hair,’ he paused, looking at his naked chest. ‘And get myself something to wear.’ </p><p>‘If you give me some time, I could weave you something to wear. I don’t think you’ll be able to get very far with your injury, though. The next town isn’t for fifty miles.’ </p><p>He grimaced and his hand pulled through his errant curls. ‘I lost my sword and my helmet,’ he considered. ‘I’m better off becoming a creature in your wood.’ </p><p>‘Were they very important?’ </p><p>‘The longer I spend here, the less they seem so.’ Ben watched her carefully, Rey not quite sure what to do with the expression or his attention on her. He had improved enough for her to feel the power simmering off him, unbridled. ‘What is it like to live for yourself? To do as you wish?’</p><p>Rey raised a brow and turned to close the honey pot, licking her sticky fingers and then clearing the rest of the kitchen. ‘You will find it’s not so difficult to disappear for a while. My grandfather had forgotten about this place, though even without him, his power was enough to protect it from prying eyes.’ </p><p>‘Who was your grandfather?’</p><p>She chuckled. ‘I think that would be disclosing too much.’</p><p>He sighed, leaning against the wall and looking at the ceiling and then to Rey once more. ‘You know I’ve never met a nymph before. Even though I’ve been to this land hundreds of times, I never have.’ </p><p>‘They tend to keep away from men half delirious and covered in blood.’ </p><p>‘Do I not frighten you?’</p><p>‘Not for the reasons you think, I imagine.’</p><p>He frowned, not knowing what she meant, but Rey smiled briefly and took a hold of his arm, leading him gently back to the bed. ‘Now please remain here, I don’t think it is proper to keep you on your feet in your state.’ </p><p>‘I’m not a prince,’ he huffed.</p><p>‘If you say so.’ Once he was laying down again, Rey adjusted the pillows and looked over the wound at his waist. ‘You may stay for as long as you need,’ she murmured. The wound was healing well, enough that Rey could clean it and rewrap it. If she had had more ambrosia to share, she considered that the injury would be as good as new in a day. </p><p>‘Thank you, Rey.’</p><p>‘I suppose talking to myself was getting old, anyway.’ She smiled and stood, preparing something for them both to eat. Just like before, she sat on the chair beside the bed, the pair of them eating in relative silence. </p><p>Once Rey had cleared everything away, Ben was sleeping again, and she went outside into the darkness. Beebee was curled up on the stoop and Rey sat beside him, her eyes on the stars and the trepidation that had filled her before, falling away. Perhaps Ben’s good nature being the catalyst to that. </p><p>‘You could only be left alone for so long, Rey,’ she muttered. ‘Thirty years was a long enough record.’ Her fingers ghosted over Beebee before she stood and sat in the armchair on her porch, curling into it with a smile.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Godddd it takes me so long to edit. Wow.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ben jolted awake, his injury pulling uncomfortably, though his arm aching more so. He glanced at his surroundings – at the deep mahogany walls, the fresh flowers that crawled them and the light that entered the room from more windows than he could count. It smelled sweet, like honeysuckle and starlight, both homely and familiar, and he sighed, his head falling back again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was Elysia.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something licked his palm and he looked over the edge of the bed as Beebee nuzzled into the hand that was hanging off the side of the bed. Ben chuckled and sat up, giving the dog a scratch before pulling himself from the bed and taking a look around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The surfaces were covered in flowers and small trinkets from the human world. Parchment, mirrors, ink and works of art. His finger traced over the items, until his eyes caught on a drawer in the table beside the bed. He pulled it open and inside there sat a simple circlet woven from willow and entwined with baby’s-breath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben didn’t have the opportunity to look further, as he heard the door open and he slid the drawer closed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey was carrying a bucket of water, her dress a pale blue and her hair pinned away from her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Will you help me this morning?’ He watched as she placed the bucket down and then straightened with a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are allowing me?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Of course. I also made you this.’ She handed him a tunic of pale grey linen and he pulled it over his head, pinning it at the shoulders and his hands smoothing it against his torso. Rey watched him as if waiting for his approval, and he smiled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Thank you.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that response, she disappeared out of the door, leaving Ben to follow after her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He noted his bow and quiver was propped at the door with his armour, and his soldiers' tunic hung beside the door, clean and dry, the tears stitched together. Then his eyes moved to his surroundings and he stopped in place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben had never seen anything like it. There were flowers everywhere, all the way up to the river bank. Red tulips, yellow daffodils and blue primroses among lilac crocuses and wild poppies. He could see where the water dropped off into the waterfall, could hear the splash of water against rock. There was so much green, and bar the cabin, it was all untouched. Bees flew by and he noted the apiary of hives a few hundred metres away, surrounded by knee-high wildflowers that stretched even further back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Where Rey walked the grass and flowers lay undisturbed, as if she had floated over them, and the warm gold of her skin shone under the morning sun, sparkling and alive. She was as much a part of this place as the flowers and the birds, and Ben was made very aware of how far he was imposing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘This place is beautiful.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey beamed and gestured for him to continue following, taking up two baskets from the porch. His sandals had been discarded some time during his unconsciousness, so he followed her lead, frowning that he couldn’t so easily avoid the footprints he made in the grass. To at least pretend he fit into this picturesque idyll. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘When I got here the flowers were being strangled by weeds and the oaks along there,’ she gestured to the woodland beside the cabin, ‘were sick.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How long have you been here?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Thirty years.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded. ‘You’ve missed a lot, then.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shrugged. ‘There’s really never been a need for anyone to see me. If I do as my mother intended, then eventually I’ll be forgotten and truly left alone.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Have I caused a problem with your plans?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Perhaps.’ She turned and smiled. ‘Though you are a welcome distraction. I forgot how nice it is to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of Earth’s beauties.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I am one of Earth’s beauties?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled, her eyes dancing over him and Ben realised how blinding his latent power must be. He wasn’t used to walking earth so much, so he often forgot about the glow he gave off. Though here there were no humans to frighten, and Rey seemed to handle it well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I will trust you with my hideaway. Considering I saved your life, I hope you will keep it secret.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘With my life.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey chuckled as they continued to walk, stepping over budding flowers and avoiding rabbit groves. Ben’s eyes fell upon the fledgling trees they were walking towards. ‘It need not be that serious.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Consider it my word as a friend.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘We are friends now?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben nodded. ‘It seems appropriate.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Well then, friend, you will help me pick berries.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy enough considering Ben’s easy use of one hand. Rey had placed the basket beside him and they carefully moved across the edge of the wood, picking wild berries when they were at their ripest. Rey made sure to taste every tenth berry, her lips turning pink, and Ben chuckled as he watched her drip blackberry juice on her dress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey filled her basket more quickly than Ben, as if her fingers gravitated to the ripe berries, and she stood, stretching and seemingly gaining energy from the sunshine. It was the peak of spring here, yet Ben remembered distinctly that it had already been autumn when he’d fought. He wasn’t aware nymphs had such power, so he watched her with interest as she went about calling birds down from the trees, feeding them seeds as they perched on her finger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben had squeezed a strawberry in between his fingers by the time he realised he was staring and a squirrel had approached to take the squashed fruit from his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A giggle filled the air around them, and Rey was hurrying over beside him towards the small animal. ‘If you’re not careful you’ll attract Alexander, and he’s a keen licker.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Is Alexander another squirrel?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey shook her head. ‘He’s a fox.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Is it usual for wild animals to be so friendly?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey snorted a little, confusion in her brow. ‘I’ve never met an unkind animal.’ She stood again without saying anything else and took up his basket, carrying them both. Ben followed after her, eyes caught on the deep gold her hair turned in the sun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was beginning to understand what the others had meant about nymphs. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen and for a moment Ben considered the benefits of stealing her away, or better yet, staying here eternally as her servant, carrying her baskets of fruit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey glanced back at Ben, unable to stop herself from smiling at his expression. His eyes couldn’t seem to decide where to settle first and she thought he might trip over Beebee when the dog eventually bounded over to them looking for berries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Ben?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His gaze passed to her and he waited for her to speak first, much to Rey’s amusement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Let’s eat, I think you need to rest again.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could see by the grimace that he wasn’t in total agreement, though he didn’t complain when she held the door to the cabin open to him, sat him down on the bed and began to sift through the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a small chimney fire set within one of the kitchen walls and Ben could just see Rey as she began to stoke the fire within it. She made quick work of it, and soon enough he could hear the sizzle of something frying. He closed his eyes, revelling in the sound and the smell, while Rey looked to him with a snort.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Have you fallen asleep, Ben?’ She called to him, turning the wheatcakes over with a wooden spatula. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she was done and the plate was stacked high with her doughy creations, she poured far too much honey on it and added a handful of crushed walnuts and some of the berries they had collected. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Ben, wake up,’ she said softly, taking a seat by his side and jostling him by his free shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He jumped, almost knocking the plate from her hands with the arm that was in a sling, and he looked over the meal she had brought over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Is this how you live everyday?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey snorted, tearing away some of the dough and chewing on the honey-soaked pastry. She licked her fingers and shook her head. ‘Not every day is just lounging around and eating. Where do you think this honey and flour comes from?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You really don’t have any help?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Beebee gives me enough help.’ She grinned then, reaching for another wheatcake, mopping up more honey with it. ‘Though now you’re here, I suppose you can be my helper for a bit. You at least know how to pick berries.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m sorry, I hadn’t realised I was stopping you from working.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey frowned, and held the cakes closer to him. ‘You need to stop apologising. Do they teach you guys excessive manners up there?’ She asked, laughing behind another mouthful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Well it’s clear that you weren’t educated there.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She noted the insult and laughed harder, poking his uninjured shoulder as hard as she could. ‘So now you’re fine to joke?’ Rey shook her head and adjusted herself on the edge of the bed, taking up a berry and then licking her fingers again with a curious look. ‘What’s it like?’ She began, knowing that she was putting herself in hot water simply by bringing it up, but her curiosity running wild. ‘I’ve only ever heard about a god coming down and causing mischief.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben rubbed his sticky lips together, considering, and Rey watched him do so, fascinated by the expression that crossed his face. He seemed embarrassed, and she found it immediately suspicious, deciding to use it to mess with him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘So how many young maidens have you seduced?’ Though her expression was serious, she was very much not, and she laid the plate down beside them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are the closest to a young maiden I have met.’ He murmured, and Rey could see the tips of his ears turn red. ‘I have only interacted with human men. They are...they are the only ones present where I go.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey watched him carefully and recalled what he had mentioned earlier on about his sword and helmet, and she wondered how she hadn’t thought it earlier on. Ben — Benedic The Blessed. The God of War. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘So you frequent the baths often?’ Rey responded in jest once the silence had stretched on for too long, and she tried not to expose her own realisation. She’d even felt her blush begin to crawl up her throat at her joking suggestion, and she held it back with another mouthful of berries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben grimaced. ‘What does that have anything to do with it?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey let out a choked laugh at his mournful expression. ‘You seem to be disappointed that you haven’t been able to have any exploits with the young women of earth.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are infuriating.’ He sighed, looking to the ceiling with a huff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey grinned. ‘And you are easily tricked.’ She slid from the mattress, taking the plate with her. ‘I am teasing you, Ben. If you hate it so much, I’m sure you will be well enough by tomorrow to leave.’ Even though she said it as a joke, Rey was surprised by how much she didn’t mean it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yes, I think so,’ he mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Rey did turn to look at him, finding his tone strange, he was simply looking into a corner of the room, his eyes downcast. She found herself staring at him for longer than necessary, transfixed by the steady moodiness of the young god. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the days when she had walked among mortals, Rey had always wondered what they knew or saw to create the art they did; the imposing sculptures of muscled titans tackling monsters, seducing young women or simply lounging in stoic, mindful poses. Yet the turn of , his face, his physique, and the long line of his profile seemed identical to the characters the famed sculptors carved. He was living art and the thought stuck comfortably within her stomach, causing a smile to turn up the corners of her lips unbidden. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘If you would like, I can show you more of this part of the river tomorrow?’ She asked, ladling some of the water from the water bucket into a cup. ‘Before you go,’ she added. Ben looked to Rey and she approached, holding the cup to him, and his fingers gliding over hers as he took it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I would like that.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her smile widened and she watched as he drank, not seeing any reason to move away from him. She had quickly grown accustomed to his presence, and though it should have unsettled her, Rey at least felt comforted by the easy company, especially as Ben didn’t seem interested in manipulating her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I must go and finish my chores, but do you need anything else?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You have already given me too much.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey smiled, shaking her head. ‘Now even if I was not educated in the citadel, I at least know what good hospitality is.’ She did not wait for his answer, and she set a pot of water over the fire, preparing a cup of tea for him before she left. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>XxX</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben sat in silence for a long time after Rey had departed, staring at where she had sat beside him, trying to paint her face permanently in his mind as a memento. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomorrow. He’d leave tomorrow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps his apprehension at that fact is what made his injuries seem to cry out at the same time, and he sighed softly, the hand of his injured arm squeezing into a fist against his chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had embarrassed himself, exposed his youth and inexperience, and his weaknesses. It was probably good that she was not aware of his title, because what God of War was bested by a mortal? Even after dedicating his entire immortal life to fighting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s mind fell to his brother, to his cousins and he groaned. They were well known for their exploits, their willingness to ruin lives, and a shiver of fear ran through him of the idea of one of them coming here and doing the same. Causing anarchy in this microcosm from seeking him out, or worse, Rey. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was dark when she returned, and Ben had remained in the darkness, despite candles being laid around the room. His own thoughts had overcome him, and he silently warred against them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey didn’t comment on the darkness, merely lit the candles around the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I have brought you some fresh milk.’ She said, straining it through cloth and into a cup. ‘Let me check your injury.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took the cup from her, draining the beverage – it was goats milk, warm and sweet. Ben pulled up the tunic, exposing himself to Rey once more and she sat at the edge of the bed again, untying the bandage and looking over the wound. Ben knew it was mostly sealed closed, the skin likely having stitched itself back together, though still red raw. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was unexpectedly sensitive when Rey pressed lightly along the raw edge, and he jolted forward, closing the already small distance between them. His breath disturbed a lock of her hair that had come unpinned and Rey stared at him, suddenly immobile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this distance he could count the freckles across her nose, could list the colours that made up her irises and smell lavender on her breath. It was easy not to pull away when her hand stilled against his abdomen, and Ben felt his own anxiety flare at how close they were. Another problem on a list he had made for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leaned away first, looking elsewhere and trying to tear apart the painting he’d made of her in his mind. This was not his place, she was not his to fantasise about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After several seconds her hands moved again and she gave a satisfied hum, though Ben didn’t look back at her until she had cleaned the wound and left it unbandaged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You seem to be in your thoughts a lot. Would you tell me what you’re thinking?’ She requested, looking at him carefully and swallowing back what had just passed between them. ‘Did I upset you earlier? I—’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben shook his head. ‘I was thinking about what this place must mean to you, and my interruption in that.’ He met her eyes steadily, and she watched him. ‘There must be a reason you don’t have visitors here.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled wryly, though fidgeted and ran the cotton of her dress between her thumb and forefinger. ‘Don’t worry so much about that. Of course there is a reason I am here alone, but it doesn’t mean you have so easily exposed me. I don’t envision anyone appearing in my kitchen from the skies.’ Then she looked at him seriously. ‘Though I’ll know it was you who gave me away if someone does turn up once you’re gone.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I would never—’ Ben started immediately, looking apologetic and Rey began to laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Don’t worry, Ben. I can beat you into the afterlife if necessary.’ He quietened, seemingly unconvinced and Rey smiled. ‘I know how to take care of myself. I have been doing so for a long time, and I don’t think that will change in a day. You haven’t ruined my life just yet.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though the words were said in jest, Rey didn’t like the creeping sensation that yes, he would indeed ruin what her life had become. Though at the same time she was thankful that she was not born with the gift of prophecy, and so instead she brought Ben another glass of milk and watched him drink it. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you all enjoy the final installment. Who knows? I might write more if I feel like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rey chewed on a dried apricot as she made her way back toward the cabin, a basket of potatoes hooked on her arm. She glanced upwards, smiling at the clear sky and squinting against the harsh light of the sun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though the birds were happily chirping away, it was strangely quiet, and Rey realised that the happy animal which she called her companion was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Ben, who she had left to clean the cabin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hoisting the basket up her arm again, she sped up her steps and looked along the length of the river beside the cabin as she approached from her small vegetable field behind it. She scented apple blossoms on the breeze and smiled as she hurried along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What she didn’t expect was to find a man-sized impression in the grass outside of her cabin, snoring softly in the mid-morning air. On closer inspection, Rey could see Beebee on his back, curled against Ben’s chest, and his legs flopped out as he napped too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Trust the men to do a single set of chores and then immediately fall asleep,’ she murmured. Rey stood over the pair of them, her smile wide as the skies seemed intent on shielding them both from the sun’s beating rays and leaving them within the shadow of clouds. Ben had taken his sling off, and one hand rested on Beebee’s fur, while the other pillowed behind his head. His hair was a tangled mess of grass and flowers, and there was dirt on his tunic as well as on his hands and knees. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey knelt down beside them both, scratching Beebee’s belly softly as she watched Ben. She was well aware that staring wasn’t polite, particularly when the other party was sleeping, yet she couldn’t easily draw her gaze away. He was magnetic. From the soft exhale of his breaths, to the relaxed expression as he slept, to how he curled against Beebee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I think this place suits you,’ she murmured with a chuckle, a strange giddiness forming in her stomach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She crawled forward, closing the distance to Ben and settling close to his shoulder, her eyes parsing over his form again from this vantage. The lay of his head meant his hair had fallen to partially expose a large ear and Rey looked closer, smiling without thought at the curve of his nose, his thick lashes and the stubble that had begun to grow across his chin. She reached forward, intending to pull a daisy free from his curls, and his eyes blinked open, looking directly at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t reply immediately as he looked at Rey, who didn’t seem to mind at all that he had caught her hovering so close to him. Close enough that he could smell the hyacinths spun into a single braid in her hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beebee snorted loudly, turning abruptly and looking around as if he didn’t know where he was, before driving his nose directly into Rey’s palm. Her gaze fell away from Ben’s and she ruffled the dog’s fur, kissing his head before she stood again. Beebee yipped at her legs and she took a few steps, taking a handful of berries she had set out from the morning’s collection and allowing Beebee to have his fill. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I think there’s something you might like to see.’ She started, grabbing for a satchel she had prepared that morning. Her hand hesitated as she looked down at the porch step, seeing Ben’s belongings carefully wrapped in leather cord in preparation for him departing. ‘Unless you intend on leaving now?’ Rey tried to hide the disappointment in her tone, forcing out a smile as her hand tightened around the strap of her bag. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I don’t have to go now. Another few hours won’t make a difference.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her shoulders softened and she turned, beginning towards the river, while hiding a small smile of victory. ‘I think this is something you may have passed your entire life without seeing.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He raised a brow, but followed. They walked the river for a long time before they reached a small riverpass. It was less bridge, and more of a large tree having fallen opportunely. Rey led first, walking over it with her hand held out to support Ben.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She kept a hold of his hand as they walked across grass, Ben making no objections. There was a small thatch of trees ahead and once they passed to the other side, a large meadow opened up, which swooped upwards towards the sky. At the crest of the hill there was a team of horses, shaking their necks and whinnying. It seemed as if they had noticed Rey immediately and the largest galloped over to her. He was deep black, and his coat shon with more luster than any horse Ben had ever seen, mortal or otherwise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You will ride Mercy here.’ Rey said, stroking the horse’s coat with a grin. ‘He takes riding very seriously, and I promise he won’t throw you.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Where are we going?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey pointed over the ridge. ‘Just a mile that way. Justice is having a foal today.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How do you know that?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t answer and climbed a smaller mare, which was tan and fidgety, their energies matching. The pair shot off before Ben could ask anything more and he did his best to climb the horse left to him, leaning into one hand, while the horse bended slightly as if being polite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey was right – riding Mercy was unlike riding any other horse, and Ben’s healing arm wasn’t jostled once. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the top of the hill and began to move down, Ben could see a gathering of more horses and one – a white arabian – laid down in the tall grass. Rey reached quickly, jumping from the horse before she had slowed, and she knelt beside the mare, a hand patting her affectionately. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Justice is getting old, so she sometimes needs a little help,’ Rey said softly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben watched her, not quite sure what to do, and keeping some distance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Do you not want to help?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I don’t know what to do.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey chuckled and waved him over. ‘Give Justice some comforting words. She’s almost there.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘She will understand me?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned. ‘There is no creature on earth who doesn’t understand the voice of a god.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He paused, watching her before he walked slowly over, kneeling beside the horse’s head and gently stroking her mane. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey began to hum – the same song he’d heard her sing in the water –  and Ben smoothed the horse’s damp coat in time, finding himself getting caught up in the tune, and realising that he knew it well. It was a song his own mother had sang to him centuries ago. The story of how the sun and the moon were hung in the sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A muzzle nudged his shoulder and Ben laughed, turning to see a smaller horse staring at him. ‘Perhaps we should have brought them some apples. There was an orchard a little way up river.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The foal nickered, seemingly in agreement, and Rey chuckled softly. ‘Ajax is always looking for something to eat, so don’t mind him too much.’ Her concentration went back to the pregnant mare and she patted her neck. ‘Justice, I think you’re doing a great job. Don’t you think, Ben?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded. ‘Very good.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey smiled, meeting his gaze. Ben felt a shiver go up his spine and he set about giving words of affirmation to the horse as she breathed heavily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of all the things he thought Rey would show him, he hadn’t imagined this. Though he supposed she was right, He’d never witnessed the miracle of life, even after so many years of his existence, and there was something humbling about the mortality of it all. His life was always full of death, and here, now, he could feel the soft beating of life in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only a few minutes more before Justice gave a big huff and the new member of the family was delivered. They watched as the foal stumbled for most of an hour before eventually standing up, and Rey clapped excitedly as the foal made his first steps amongst the tall grass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun had begun its slow crest down towards the horizon and Rey stood from her seated position in the grass, holding her hands out to Ben with a grin. ‘Do you want to see something else?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben nodded, not quite knowing what to say in response to Rey’s easy giddiness, particularly in reaction to something she likely witnessed often. A part of him wondered whether this is what life should truly be like – living for the small moments to embrace, even if those moments may be a single drop of water among a sea of years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t concentrating when they began walking, Rey’s hand folded easily in his, their fingers intertwined as she surged forward, sending the horses well wishes as they made their way across the fields. Their clothes were covered in mud and grass, though Rey didn’t seem to mind and she beamed at him while wildflowers curled at her ankles.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Thank you,’ Ben murmured, his expression serious. Rey looked to him, waiting for him to continue, and he glanced at her before taking a deep breath. ‘I hadn’t realised how...how simple it can be.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How life finds its balance?’ She asked, eyes alight as she stopped their movement. Ben nodded, swallowing. ‘Mortality is a mixed blessing.’ She released his hand and bent down in the meadow, her fingers dipping into the tall grass and when she pulled it free, a ladybird was walking along her knuckle. ‘Though what’s beautiful about it, is that even the small things matter when you’re mortal.’ She set the insect back down into the grass and stood, looking to Ben with a question. ‘Have you ever tried to savour it?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know how to respond, not when his experience of the mortal world was so small, and she seemed to have lived on this plane for her entire existence. ‘How?’ He asked, his brow furrowed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She chuckled. ‘Are you asking me to teach you?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Is that even possible?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey paused in thought and then shrugged her shoulders, beginning to walk towards the copse of trees. ‘Now let me show you downstream properly. This time while you’re conscious.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Down the waterfall?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey nodded and despite Ben feeling wary, he nodded anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coming to the waterfall from the opposite side of the river, the descent down was easier here, though Rey still held Ben’s hand the entire way down, giving him extra support. She then deftly led them across the rocks so they didn’t have to get into the water just yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Can you swim?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Not very well.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’ll make sure you don’t drown, then.’ She grinned and pulled the satchel from across her chest and rocked it down to the grassy bank with a quick flick of her wrist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They then climbed down from the rocks to the edge of the water. ‘This is my favourite place, and I’ll forgive you for bleeding all over it.’ Her bare feet nudged several rocks along the bank, as if rearranging them by her preference. ‘I don’t think a mortal has set foot here in five hundred years.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘That’s very selfish of you, no? Keeping this place from them?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She scoffed, dipping her feet into the clear water. ‘My grandfather put wards around here to turn them all away. For a moment that day, I had thought you were a mortal who had gotten through.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I looked mortal to you?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey glanced at him, moving shin-deep into the water. ‘If you spend enough time alone, everything begins to blur. I probably should have known immediately.’ Smiling, she gestured to him to come into the water. ‘You won’t have to swim, I promise.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He followed, the cool water soothing his tired legs. It was as much of a balm as pure ambrosia, and he considered whether Rey’s grandfather had done more than just ward this place. ‘Tell me who your grandfather is.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You know, thirty years in seclusion will make a person less nosey. I just want to let you know that.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben frowned, but still followed her until the water was up to their knees and she had pointed to the riverbed. He followed the direction of the gesture and within the clear pool were small fish swimming between their feet. He could see the gentle ecosystem here, and how perfectly they fit within it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You were in a battle, weren’t you?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yes.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey was silent, and Ben could see the hem of her dress grow a darker shade of green as it became wet. The water climbed still and he couldn’t help thinking that Rey most likely usually did this without clothing, and his thoughts found their way back to the first moment he’d seen her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You’re distracting me from my own questions in favour of yours.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A slow smile spread across her face, effortless and as tranquil as the breeze that blew around them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I can think of far better ways to distract you.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s mind went elsewhere once more and he was brought back to the present by a wave of water. He blinked, half of his hair sticking to his face, while Rey grinned and on the verge of laughter. ‘Like that.’ She turned anyway, surging further into the water. ‘My intention is to show you beneath the falls. Just...some of your questions I will choose not to answer.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Like who you are?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Does it matter who I am? And don’t say because I am your saviour again.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He snorted, and his eyes went to his feet, watching as they slid over mossy stones, small creatures moving out of the way as they passed. ‘Are you frightened that I will share the story of the creature I met in the middle of the woods?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘And over-exaggerate it as men tend to do.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I would start by saying she was unlike anyone I had ever met before.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey turned, chuckling, though her brows were raised in intrigue. The water was up to her hips now, and climbing ever higher. ‘A penchant for the dramatics then? I had not considered that a man of war would be so interested in the lyrical.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It helps that whole epics could be written about your beauty.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She blinked, not quite believing he had spoken the words, and not knowing how to react to them. Instead she turned and kept walking towards the falling water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,’ he added with earnest. ‘And you seem to doubt your passive ability to convince me to follow you anywhere.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she laughed, and it was so full of spirit that even the birds responded in turn. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I do appreciate you feeding my ego now that I have saved your life.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben moved forward quickly, closing the gap between them. A hand flowed to hers where it sat, held aloft and just touching the surface of the pool. She turned, looking down at his hand first and then into his face. He didn’t look away, but held her gaze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey lost any grasp of control she usually had over her senses – over the quiet power that sang beneath her skin. It was almost like a sirens song with how she beheld him, barely able to breathe as she took him wholly in. Under the dappled sun, water shined at his brow and made a rainbow of his skin. Glowing, godly skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben looked down at her hand and how it tightened over his own, and not remembering having such an easy pull to another being, not on any plane of existence. Then she let go of him, sifting towards the waterfall and glancing down at the rocks beneath her feet, while her cheeks grew red. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘When my grandfather first took me here,’ she began again, clearing her throat. ‘This waterfall wasn’t much taller than you, though I can’t say it was all natural to get to this state.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Unless you say that anything a god does </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> natural.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey hesitated, swallowing. ‘I never said my grandfather was a god.’ She wanted to pinch herself, not realising that her words were becoming as free-flowing as the water before her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben hummed in assent and kept following her, feeling the splash of water against his cheeks as Rey edged beside the falling water, towards a small opening in its side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘From here it feels like you are peering into another world. Beyond even us.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t understand what she meant until Rey had reached for his hand, and had pulled him beneath the fall, soaking him thoroughly. There was a small cavern beneath it, large enough for them both to stand or sit cross-legged within. They were both wet now, Rey’s curls flat against her head and neck, though the flowers tied there still did not droop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It’s like you escape time here. You’re cut off from beyond the waterfall – no sounds, no sight. Here it can just be you and your thoughts.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes were on the falling water – seeing how the image on the other side was blurred beyond recognition, but more than that, there was just the sound of their breathing between them. The birds were gone, even the slight breeze. It was just them and the waterfall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey sat on the small slope of stone, pushing her wet hair behind her ears and folding her knees up to rest her chin on them as she watched outwards. Ben did the same, taking a seat beside her and embracing the silence, finding that he’d never been so at peace in his whole life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I watch you and everything else seems insignificant,’ he murmured. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> is living.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey shook her head. ‘This isn’t living, this is escape.’ Despite the cheerfulness in her tone, her expression said the opposite. ‘You can say that this life is idyllic because you’ve not known it. You’ve lived in a palace away from mortal life, and when you weren’t, you were seeing the bad parts. The needless death, the fighting, the wars.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How do you—’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned her head towards him, smiling lightly and interrupting him. ‘In this other world we currently find ourselves in, tell me something that’s on your mind.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben sighed, pushing the wet hair from his face. ‘You really know how to avoid a conversation.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled, but nudged him with a finger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I think we should have done this without clothes.’ He said matter-of-factly, pulling at the hem of his sodden linen tunic with a frown. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey grinned. ‘If you had wanted to see me naked again, you could have just asked.’ His gormless expression made her smile widen further. ‘You’re very interesting, did you know that?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How’s that?’ His voice was tight, and he tried to think of anything else but the fuzzy image he had of Rey without clothes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m sure most would jump at the chance to bed me. Gods aren’t particularly well-known for their chasteness, unless I have gotten you completely wrong and you are in fact a—’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘No,’ Ben said, stopping Rey from continuing. ‘Have you...uh...been with many...celestial beings?’ He said awkwardly, looking away from her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey immediately began laughing again, letting go of her legs. She stretched them out, her feet getting wet again from the splash of water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘This was not my intention,’ he said, seemingly trying to gain some semblance of control over the words being shared between them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her expression softened and she turned slightly to face him. ‘I did not think you were stabbed just as a means of coming here and seducing me.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘No, I mean…’ He frowned. ‘This was not my intention when I said I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey quietened, feeling a strange anxiety flow through her, resting reluctantly in her chest. She couldn’t remember ever having felt it before, and yet even if it had been thirty years since she’d arrived here, it had been much longer since she’d last been across from another person, let alone...someone like Ben. She wasn’t even sure what she meant by that. A man? A god? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It feels different being here with you. In the quiet,’ he murmured. ‘There’s no anger here, there’s no blood and I...I envy you. You might say this is your escape, but it is a good one.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled softly, nodding. ‘I suppose you’re right.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He huffed, running a hand through his hair, and only stopping when he felt Rey gently touch the one that carelessly rested on his knee. She laced her fingers through his, a song coming to her as she began to hum. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are right about this,’ she said, turning more fully to him. ‘I know your intentions.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You do?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I do.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shuddering breath that left Ben surprised them both and Rey smiled, her eyes parsing carefully over his features in the dim light. Tracing the high arc of his nose, his cheekbones and the soft splattering of moles across his skin: A constellation for a man made of stars. Her lips were drawn to his before her eyes could take stock of them, and her free hand tangled in his wet hair, holding him steady. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a softening in Ben’s shoulders as they kissed, and Rey’s thumb ran small lines up and down his jaw, tasting ambrosia on his lips, and wanting to delve inside to get her own dose. Rey pulled back, reigning in her own inhibitions, and she pressed three kisses along his jaw on a path to his ear before she pulled back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You know who I am, don’t you?’ Ben asked, lips still tingling, the fingers on his weaker arm gripping his tunic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey nodded. ‘Son of the gods of day and night. God of war and destruction.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You do not fear that? Harbinger of death and brutality.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It’s a good thing war is an occupation and not a birthright,’ she leaned in closer to him, close enough to kiss him again if either willed it. ‘Seeing you here, with wildflowers in your hair, it makes me wonder what called to you at your birth.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Are you hiding here?’ Ben asked, interrupting Rey’s half-formed thoughts. ‘Do you not like being here?’ He added quickly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey paused, and pulled away slightly, taking the hand which held his jaw back. ‘You ask so many questions.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Could you give me just this one?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His expression was what made her resist hiding the answer. It was so open and Rey could only see honesty in his eyes. ‘Truthfully, I am not needed in this valley. I am here for self preservation.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are a woodland nymph, it can’t be so bad—’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey laughed, so loudly that Ben almost thought that something had gone wrong, but then she was holding her stomach. ‘A nymph? Yes, a nymph indeed. It is probably to your detriment that you have never met one.’  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You are not a nymph?’ His words were slow, expression confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head, and Ben was silent, turning his thoughts over in his head while he held her gaze. Rey watched him steadily, apprehension there, and he glanced at the flowers in her hair. He thought of the circlet of baby's-breath that had been in Rey’s home, to the flowers that opened when she was near and the life that grew and flourished just by her singular look. Even as she looked to him, he felt like his heart was a blooming flower, and she was the sun that called him awake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew why she was named Rey, then. Aurea, born of golden wheat and sun. The missing Goddess of Spring. Lost since the Goddess of the Harvest had gone to the Afterworld of Gods, bestowing her gifts to her sole heir. Her grandfather then...her grandfather was the Carpenter, the creator of worlds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey could read realisation across his face, and she smiled wryly. ‘I hide who I am so I can stay here without trouble, though I should take your arrival as a sign that I cannot do it any longer.’ Her gaze fell to her hands, watching them scratch at her damp dress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I would keep any secret you gave me. I owe you that, remember?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes met his again, silence between them for too long, Rey feeling an involuntary nod come to her, before she shook it off. ‘I read my fate in your eyes and it frightens me.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Why? What’s so frightening about destiny?’ Ben watched her stand in the small cavern and move towards the small gap in the falls, quiet between them. ‘I do not feel inclined to leave here.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her lip twitched, and she warred against a smile. ‘You would exile yourself?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘To stay here, yes.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You have a duty that cannot be done elsewhere.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘There are enough wars in the world.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pursed her lips, thinking of what it would be like to not be alone anymore. Her mother and her grandfather were both gone, had been for much longer than she had realised and she knew they would not return. Not from where they had gone. He was offering her too much, too fast and still it took her too long to answer, hesitating over her own destiny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘My mother never wanted me to see the citadel—’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘—Your grandfather—’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘—My grandfather did not want that either. That’s why he created this place.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben was silenced for a moment. ‘For you to be kept away from the vipers?’ He knew too well what it meant for a fertility goddess in the citadel. Always sought after and preyed upon for the ambrosia – the immortality giving elixir – that flowed through their veins. They were mortality and immortality, forever entwined. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey nodded, though she seemed to bear the fact that she was isolated away from predators well, and her hand reached out, catching the falling water. ‘Once they were both gone, well I wasn’t prepared to go. So on the mortal plane I remained, without a friend in the world.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m sorry.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She frowned. ‘Why are you apologising?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Because I have interrupted your life.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her hand dropped and she closed the small distance between them, standing over his seated form. ‘You are not what my mother warned me against.’ There was humour in her tone, and then she was smiling widely. She held out her hands to him, and Ben took them, letting her pull him up, ignoring the twinge in his rapidly healing arm. They were close once he was standing, inches between them as Ben looked down at her, their toes almost touching. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Let’s get out of these wet clothes.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben lost the chance to respond when Rey pulled him by one hand through the gap and out into the water again. The world was dimming around them, the sky filled with pinks and purples, though the woods surrounding the water began to glow with the awakening of fireflies, and they could hear their soft buzz. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey held tightly onto his hand as they moved swiftly through the water. Once they reached the edge, Ben stayed watching Rey as she searched for her satchel. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Help me build a fire,’ she said with a chuckle, water dripping from her dress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a small fire pit a few steps away from the bank and Rey placed her bag down beside it, arranging the remains of wood within it. Ben went to the edge of the forest and began taking up wood that would burn well, bringing back an armful so big that Rey laughed in earnest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She began building the small fire, getting it alight very quickly. It seemed to naturally kindle, growing bigger within minutes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I prepared us something to eat.’ She opened her bag, before glancing up at the still standing Ben. ‘Sit with me, you can take off your tunic and get warm.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben watched her expression before he pulled at his clothing, struggling to get it over his stubborn arm, before Rey intervened and helped untie it. He was again left almost nude in front of her and he caught the rouge in her cheeks. The sun dipped, her dress just as wet as his tunic had been, and he could see the brief outline of her nipples, stiff against the cold and straining at the material. He sucked in a breath and then looked away as Rey fed the fire and he sat beside her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She began to hum again as she opened the bag, and laid out the provisions on a square of linen she had brought. An assortment of fruits – figs, pears, berries – olives, bread, cheese wrapped in a stiff wax and honey in a small sealed pot. Lifting up her skirt, she unstrapped a small knife from her thigh and began to cut the items up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Why are you suddenly so quiet?’ Rey asked with a smirk. She held a slice of honey dipped bread and cheese out to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m thinking about the fact that I’m naked and you’re feeding me again.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey chuckled and licked honey from her fingers, before tearing into a fig and chewing on it. ‘For an immortal being you care about modesty quite a bit.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Only because you’re sitting in a soaking wet dress at your own expense.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She straightened, smiling behind her mouthful of fruit. ‘I thought that if I took mine off, the whole dynamic of this dinner would change. Could you handle that?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gaped slightly and Rey chuckled at his expression, and the force it took for him to not look at the outline of her body, even though he could see the goosebumps at her arms due to the cold. ‘At least get closer to the fire, then.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I can do that.’ She also chose to get closer to Ben too, folding her legs beneath her and dipping a slice of pear in the honey. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben reached for more bread, his eyes only on Rey as they both ate. She smiled noticing, and then held his gaze. ‘I thought it would be overwhelming to actually be around someone else after so long alone, though you make it very easy. I think it’s because you tend to stare so much rather than talk.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I don’t think you want to hear my unfiltered thoughts.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey grinned, swallowing a berry. ‘Well if you’re so set on staying here, I think you’ll eventually decide against hiding them from me.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Would you want me to stay?’ He murmured. ‘In this moment, would you want me to?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yes,’ she answered. So quickly that she wasn’t quite sure what to say afterwards, and she grew suddenly nervous at the fact that the truth had come from her freely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben breathed softly, his hand itching to touch her, until he decided to and reached to take her hand. ‘Then I will stay until you change your mind. Or you decide that you don’t want to hide anymore.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes looked to the fire and she fidgeted, her thumb moving over his warm skin, and she considered what it would mean to be able to live freely. To go to the citadel and walk above the clouds, drink from the fountains of free-flowing nectar and wine, and converse with her kind. She couldn’t miss it when she had never known it, but she had always yearned to see it, ever since she was a child. Her mother and grandfather had taken that chance away from her, but she was older now, she knew more about the world, and if the machinations of the mortal world were as cruel as those in the world above, then she was sure she could handle it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then her eyes fell to Ben again, the earnest expression on his face, and how quickly they had fallen into each other. How easy it was to feel warmed by him and that she trusted his words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What will they think?’ Rey finally said with a smirk. ‘They must already think you’ve returned to dust, and then to appear with the missing Goddess of Spring? I’m sure you are not prepared for that.’ She grinned, though stilled when his hand lifted and gently came to rest against her jaw, his thumb drifting over the blush at her cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shivered, shifting and pulling the dress from her skin, and Ben let go, eyes falling to the remaining fruits. And still Rey felt resolve slip beneath her skin and she knew that she would do it. Perhaps not tomorrow, maybe not even this decade, but she would. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she stood, Ben’s eyes followed her quickly with worry, though it quickly melted away when she reached to the hem of her dress and carefully pulled it up her body and over her head. He watched as she dropped the dress by her side and sat back down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Do you feel better now?’ He asked, his throat suddenly thirsty for water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey chuckled, lifting her knees and resting her chin on them. She then reached for another fig and bit into it. ‘I do. It’s quite warm, isn’t it?’ Ben could see the mirth clearly in her eyes – she was jesting with him again. ‘Wine would be perfect right now, wouldn’t it?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I feel that I’m in more danger here than I was on the battlefield.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned, seemingly entertained by that. ‘Do you know </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> intentions?’ She questioned, dipping a slice of pear into the honey and savouring its sweetness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m beginning to think so.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her smile widened, the pearls of her teeth showing through and Ben sighed softly, transfixed by her features. ‘Tell me.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You intend to love me?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The wording seemed to catch her by surprise and she licked the pear’s juice from the pad of her thumb and forefinger, a laugh threatening to spill from her lips. She was smiling so wide, she could feel the dangerous strain in her jaw. ‘Well?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben took several breaths, watching Rey before she looked behind him, her eyes on the almost full moon. The sun had set in earnest, and between the moonshine and the fire light, they were mostly in darkness, that fact giving Ben more confidence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What’s it like to be the child of the sun and the moon gods?’ Rey asked absently. When she turned to him, Ben was closer, his expression serious as he kneeled beside her. Rey blinked, her hands covering his where they had reached to her waist. They gradually trailed upwards, across her ribs and Ben’s lips pressed against her throat and she sighed softly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled back for a moment, meeting her eyes, his hands reaching to her neck, tilting her head upwards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I would like that very much,’ he murmured, answering her previous question before his lips grazed hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey smiled, her hands reaching to Ben’s soft curls, fingers combing through them until their lips met again, Rey immediately melting against him. The skin of his chest was hot against hers and Rey relished the delicate way he handled her, his touch warm and tender. She pushed against him gently, and his legs unfolded until Rey was straddling his thighs, their lips not breaking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s hands dropped down to her waist again, then gently ran upwards, and curved around her bare breasts. Rey shifted forward, feeling his steadily growing arousal between her legs, only his linen underwear separating them. She leaned further forward, grinding against it and Ben’s lips dropped to her throat, and then lower to her chest, teeth and lips grazing against a taut nipple. His hand dropped between them, and Rey groaned as she felt his thumb trace from her thigh towards her entrance, drifting through the wetness there and upwards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She panted his name, and he looked to her again. Rey chuckled at the serious expression on his face, until he was laughing too, their motions stilled for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You asked me something earlier,’ Rey started, pulling back slightly, despite Ben’s fingers drifting between her legs, drawing weak circles that were enough to make her stutter. ‘I–I laughed about it, though m–maybe I should have answered.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He watched her steadily, power pouring from his eyes at the intensity and she sought to cover them with a hand. Ben laughed once more, leaving Rey feeling warmed by the deep resonance of his mirth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Do you wish me to tease you forever? Is that why you won’t continue?’ He asked, and a stocky finger slipped lower once more. Ben pressed lightly inside, coating the appendage in her arousal, and Rey shuddered as a result. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You know I have only lived among mortals before,’ she managed, her hands squeezing his shoulders. ‘There have been no...celestial beings.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing his phrasing repeated back to him did humour Ben, but he paused, attempting to read Rey’s dubious expression. ‘You won’t need to hold back.’ He said simply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She seemed surprised by his answer, and then she chuckled, her breathing settling and her forehead resting against his shoulder. ‘Can you read minds too?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I think it’s a new power you’ve brought out of me.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey pulled back and grinned, while Ben’s hands retreated from between her legs, and they folded around her thighs, lifting her slightly and turning them so Rey lay beside the fire. Her hands reached for the cloth concealing him first, and she pulled at the knot, letting the material fall free and release him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Warm me up,’ she requested softly, sitting up and pulling him towards her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘As your majesty wishes.’ Ben knelt between her knees, smiling and taking up her reaching hand, and pressing a kiss to her wrist. He shifted down, bending Rey’s knees and his breath deepening when he finally looked at her in the firelight. His hands tightened on her calves and Rey watched him as he lowered himself until Rey could feel his breath against her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes looked to the night sky, and she moaned as his mouth found her. His hands held her still and the stars above them were no competition to the ones that danced across Rey’s vision. His tongue dipped within her entrance, drinking her in before he licked upwards and around her dewy bud; his actions light enough to tease her, and slowly work her towards her precipice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You taste like honeysuckle,’ Ben groaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey’s laugh became another moan, which steadily changed in pitch, until her eyes were closed and her hand was tightening on Ben’s shoulder and she gasped, falling over the edge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Rey,’ he murmured her name, moving up her body again. He licked his lips, his smile wide as he looked down at the reclined goddess. His hands climbed the ground at her sides and he blinked, laughing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What are you looking at?’ She asked, turning her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Where there had been soft bare earth, the grass had grown despite the heat of the fire, and wildflowers had begun to bloom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Do you do that often?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yes,’ she answered, thankful that the red in her cheeks was most likely masked by the firelight. ‘When I’m overjoyed.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s thumb brushed her cheek, and he picked at a daisy, running it through her hair and behind an ear to join the hyacinths still woven there. His grin was infectious. ‘Because of me?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Because of you.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey glanced between them, feeling Ben hard against her inner thigh. It wouldn’t have taken much to push into her, and her eyes met his, translating her readiness by her hands reaching to his waist. She ran her fingers over the strong muscles of his abdomen and Ben swallowed. He split her legs further apart with his own, and Rey took a breath as he positioned himself between her legs, catching on her entrance. Her hand climbed his back, and Ben pushed further, Rey’s breath leaving her and her eyes looking to the sky once more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His lips grazed across her neck as he slowed, letting Rey adjust to the full length of him, and only pulling back when her hand reached to his shoulder and she squeezed him tightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Is that good?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Y-yes,’ she panted and Ben retreated and thrusted into her, his own eyes closing as they came together. He could feel the ground moving beneath his hands, flowers continuing to grow and bloom, and his heart paced at the meaning. The godly scent of starlight was intoxicating now that he could finally smell it on Rey’s skin, and he nosed at her throat,  leaving kisses against her clavicle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You won’t have to hide who you are from me,’ he murmured. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey’s hands went to frame Ben’s face and he looked down at her, closing his eyes briefly as her fingers slipped into his hair again. ‘I know,’ she spoke, breathless. His pulse raced as he looked at her again and he groaned, pushing into her more earnestly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I want to anoint every inch of this river with our love-making,’ he said, kissing her throat once more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘We’ll have enough time.’ Rey’s chuckle was stifled by her soft cry and Ben’s movements became staccato as she clenched around him, driving his arousal even further upwards. Rey clung onto him, riding out her wave of passion. ‘As much time here as we want.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He murmured her name, the words muffled by her shoulder and she moaned, finding herself climbing higher on the wings of her previous orgasm. ‘Come with me,’ he said, losing rhythm, and his fingers piercing the ground, fisting grass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey nodded, promising as if it were a prayer. Her vision spun as she grew closer and closer once more to her peak, Ben climbing with her. For a moment she imagined the citadel atop the mountain, the sun shining earnestly and the constant bloom of immortal flowers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They cried out together, Rey holding Ben still as he spilled within her, and her fingers drawing patterns along his spine as they both sought to catch their breathing. Sweat dripped from their bodies, while the fire was in full blaze beside them, as if coaxed into an inferno by their power. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey turned them both to their side, and she hooked her leg around Ben’s thigh, pulling him in close and not wanting to be separated from him just yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’d go,’ Rey said with a small smile. ‘If it’s with you.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘To the citadel?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. ‘You can give me the tour.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Just as long as we finish our tour here first,’ he answered, nudging her nose with his and then kissing her again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey giggled and pulled away, disconnecting them and reaching towards the food again. Ben sat up and she moved closer. Once Rey had the remaining slices of pear in her palm, she climbed into his lap and pressed the fruit against his closed mouth. He accepted the morsel and held her more closely against his chest, his chin resting against her shoulder, and his arms wrapping around her waist while he watched her eat the rest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Shall I tell you now?’ He asked, and Rey could feel his smile as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. ‘What it’s like to be the child of the sun and moon?’ He continued, adding a lightness to his tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked over her shoulder at him, a grin on her lips. ‘Does it mean you have really good night vision?’ Rey asked with a chuckle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben laughed, his arms tightening around her. ‘It means I find it really hard to sleep,’ he quipped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey elbowed him, though laughed still. She turned in his arms, Ben loosening his grip until she was able to straddle his thighs again and wrap her arms around Ben’s shoulders. Rey breathed evenly, meeting his eyes and smiling. Her finger traced his jaw, reaching to cross his cheek before making an arch along his brow bone and down his nose, finally settling on the plush set of his lower lip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I think you may have gotten one thing wrong.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What’s that?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever beheld. And due to my experience in the mortal world, I think my decision holds more value.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben grinned and closed his eyes as Rey brought their lips together once more, her earnestness bleeding into him and a feeling as warm as the sun settling between them both. They sat like that for several minutes before Ben was standing, lifting them both. He trailed  back towards the water, plunging them into the cool waters. Rey released him once they were waist deep and she swam out to the centre where the moon was shining and she stopped within the glowing circle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Show me what it really means to be the child of the moon,’ she called to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed and swam out to Rey, letting her catch him as he kissed her, his feet just reaching the smooth stones below. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading. Feel free to drop me a comment!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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